Man Claiming To Be College Athlete Robs Chelsea Cafe, Ends Up Tased Twice

CHELSEA, MA – A man who told police he played basketball for Texas A&M University was arrested Monday after an alleged armed robbery of a Chelsea cafe and violent struggle with officers. Joshua Andrews does not in fact start for the Aggies. Neither does his alter ego, Xavier Paul Harbert.

But Andrews faces charges beyond embellishing his hoop skills. The 31-year-old has been accused in an armed robbery outside of Rosev Dairy Monday, and faces a laundry list of firearm and assault charges in a violent struggle with police. A struggle that ended, police said, with officers firing their taser at Andrews, not once, but twice.

At 4:30 p.m. Monday afternoon, police in Chelsea responded to an armed robbery at Rosev Dairy on Griffin Way. Two employees of the cafe told police a man holding a gun had robbed two employees of more than $40,000 as they left with the day's haul. The suspect then entered a nearby vehicle, a white Volkswagen Jetta, and fled down Eastern Avenue. One of the employees gave chase in his own car, but backed away and called the police after the suspect allegedly fired two shots in his direction.

Police found the Jetta as it drove around Mahoney Circle in Revere and turned onto Shirley Avenue. A state police trooper attempted to pull the car over, but it turned onto Walnut Avenue and eventually stopped next to a playground.

A man stepped out of the passenger's side of the Jetta and, ignoring the officer's orders to get back inside, grabbed a large bag from the car and ran toward Shirley Avenue. The trooper gave chase while the man turned onto Sumner Street and unsuccessfully tried to enter several vehicles parked on the side. The suspect stopped, ducked down, dropped the bag and was trying to remove something from his sweatpants when the officer drew his pistol and Taser and ordered him to get on the ground, police said.

The suspect grabbed the bag and began running again, crossing Sumner Street onto Walnut Place while the trooper continued to order him to surrender. On the sidewalk of Walnut Place, the officer fired his Taser at the suspect, momentarily immobilizing him and causing him to collapse. The suspect attempted to get up and flee, and the trooper activated the Taser a second time.

Undeterred, the suspect tried to pull the Taser's probes out and allegedly resisted the officer's attempts to wrestle him to the ground, police said. He was eventually subdued until two other officers could take the suspect into custody.

Officers found a Springfield .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol with a laser sight in the man's pocket, loaded with one round in the chamber and two more in the magazine, state police said. A large women's handbag containing multiple stacks of money was also recovered. The Jetta was found a short distance away from where it was stopped on Walnut Avenue and had additional bank deposit bags with money in them inside.

The man identified himself as Xavier P. Harbert, a basketball player at Texas A&M University, and said he had never been arrested before in his life. He also showed police a Texas driver's license identifying him as Harbert.

Police took his fingerprints and learned that "Harbert" was actually Joshua Kountze Andrews, 31, who had a lengthy criminal background and an open warrant out of Middlesex County for firearm and drug offenses. He was charged with armed robbery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery on a police officer, carrying a firearm without a license, carrying a firearm with ammunition, resisting arrest, giving a false name to police and identity fraud. He was arraigned in Chelsea District Court Tuesday.

An investigation into Andrews' accomplices is ongoing.

Image via MSP